Best Way to Back up Music Library

[DavidHB]

If you use Windows, and all your music folders are accessible to a Windows installation, it is worth trying the free Microsoft SyncToy utility. This is task based; having set up a task (which is a very straightforward process), you can use it repeatedly to keep your library and the backup synchronised. The utility uses the Microsoft Sync Framework rather than standard copying routines, and is fast and reliable when dealing with large data volumes. There are three synchronisation protocols (or 'Actions') to choose from. Error and problem recording is good, and Synctoy can be used with the Task Scheduler.

I first discovered SyncToy about 7 years ago, and have used it frequently ever since. For a home user, it can usefully replace a dedicated backup program, and remove any concerns that a compressed or incremental backup might not be correctly restored. Obviously, the backup takes more disk space if it is not compressed, but the cost of storage is less of an issue than it was even a few years ago.

One way of making sure that your music is backed up is to use both copies for different aspects of the workflow. I have the master copy of my music library on my main PC; this is where I download or rip all my music and do all metadata editing and library organisation. I have an instance of MinimServer installed on the PC, but only run it to check the library after any changes and identify any errors which need to be fixed before the changes go live.

When a batch of changes is complete, I use the 'Echo' action of Synctoy to ensure that the master library on the PC is exactly mirrored in the slave or production copy on the NAS. MinimServer is always running on the NAS, and it is from there that I actually play my music. I also echo the master library to an external drive that is used only for backup.

Using the echo action leaves the original copy on the PC completely unchanged, so if the synchronisation process fails for any reason, problem files can simply be deleted from the slave copy, and the SyncToy task re-run. This approach is safer and easier to manage, in my view, than any form of two way synchronisation, though you can do this with SyncToy as well.

David